Abbas and Fakhar punish Australia
It was yet another day of absorbing Test cricket between Pakistan and Australia at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
In an age of slam-bang T20 batters ruling the roost, it was joyful sight to see enticing battle of top batsmen fighting for survival against pumped pacers and insightful spinners. And in between all this, Pakistan crawled their way to supremacy in the Test series decider taking a decisive 281-run second inning lead with three days to go.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas took his Test best of five for 33 runs and with spinners Bilal Asif (three for 23) and Yasir Shah (one for 59), Australia folded up for 145 runs in less than four hours after the morning bell. At the end of second day, Pakistan finished at 144 for loss of two wickets.
While most batsmen, fruitlessly, preferred a defensive line of playing dot balls to last long, it was an unlikely No.9 Mitchell Starc (34 from 45 balls) who showed the way and later when Pakistan batted, opener Fakhar Zaman (66 runs from 83) and Azhar Ali (54 not out) came good with aggressive stroke play.
It was a day when 10 wickets fell. Aiming for Pakistan’s first-inning 282 runs, Australia started at overnight score of 20 for two wickets. And it took Abbas just 12 balls to snare his first victim of the day. The pacer made an out of form Shaun Marsh (3) edge to first slip and end a nine-ball stay. Abbas then bagged Travis Head (14) with a well-angled delivery.
An hour old and Australia read 68 runs for four wickets with only Aaron Finch standing amid the ruins.
After two wickets had gone to pacer’s account, a spinner struck. Shah had Mitchell Marsh (13) caught at slip. However, with Finch threatening, Sarfraz Ahmed introduced spin from both ends. And Bilal got Finch (39) as Fakhar took a sharp catch at short leg.
Bilal then trapped Tim Paine (3) in front of wicket. Australia slipped from 20 for 2 wickets to 75 for 5 and by lunch to 91 for 7.
Pakistan’s grip on the match was such that bowlers didn’t let any partnership prosper. But Australia got some momentum going in post-lunch session. Mitchell Starc and Marnus Labuschagne went after the spinners. Tragedy struck as Labuschagne (25) was run out at the non-striker’s end. The duo with 37 runs had the biggest stand of the match.
The tail folded soon as Bilal bowled Nathan Lyon (2) and Abbas ended a valiant innings by Starc (34). Australia were out for 145 from 50.4 overs – their fourth lowest total in Asia.
In the second innings, Pakistan began with a cushion of 137 runs. There was a blip with birthday boy Mohammad Hafeez (6) again falling to Starc. But Fakhar and Azhar Ali negated the pace duo of Starc and Siddle and spinners Lyon, Holland and Labuschagne.
Fakhar punched Lyon and Siddle for couple of boundaries on way to becoming the first Pakistani opener to make 50 in both innings on Test debut. Pakistan edged past the 100-mark in 25 overs but then Fakhar got out as Lyon produced an incredible catch of his own bowling.
Azhar, continued the march and reached his 50 from 101 balls, and with Haris Sohail took Pakistan to 144 at end of second day. Azhar survived a late scare from Holland and was saved by a three-metre LBW rule. Australia will need a lot of luck, planning and execution to save this Test.